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The CITE, a blog published by the National Association of College Stores, takes a look at the intersection of education and technology, highlighting issues that range from course materials to learning delivery to the student experience. Comments, discussion, feedback, and ideas are welcome.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Stores Need Ways to Join E-Text Discussion

Educause added to its “7 Things You Should
Know About…” series, this time focusing on the evolution of textbooks. The PDFoffers the scenario of an art
teacher who receives help creating “textbooks” that are animated and
interactive. The brochure discusses the many new ways to craft an interactive
book and the implications this type of resource has for teaching and learning.

A number of colleges and universities have
already begun exploring some of the many tools now available for creating
media-rich formats for both iOS and Android devices. Boston College, the
University of New Mexico, and English students at Montclair State University
are all working on iBooks Author projects. Instructional technologists at
Chatham University are designing a text on the Vook platform, while those at
Michigan State University are developing open-source options on an HTML5
framework.

College stores appear to remain largely out
of the loop so far, but Services is one of the four core retail requirements of
the College Store of 2015and a possible way for stores to become part of the
interactive textbook discussion. Store staffers can become the go-to sources on
campus for things such as technology. Take the time to understand how these
online publishing tools work and offer that expertise to faculty.